bee creative

color play

It's been stormy, but not as stormy as other places. 

One day last week I heard someone call out "rainbow" and went outside to take a peek.

And then it rained again...hard.

This weekend I processed what is probably the last of the indigo.

(I may have said that before...but there was more! No hard frost yet.)

The leaves were fermented and then calx added.  There is a step where the liquid needs to be aerated; the hand blender works beautifully.

  This (Caitlin ffrench) is where I learned about processing the indigo this way. 

There are two layers of pigment here.  The top is where the foam settled and the blue sitting on the bottom of the pot is the remainder of the pigment. 

And this is a sample of the pigment:

I've set aside some of the pigment and calx water to see if I can make a baby indigo vat. 

Until later...

local food, comfort food (value)

Red pepper soup (broth, red peppers, pickled onions, herbs, salt and a few potatoes).

I've discovered that adding a few boiled potatoes improves many pureed soups. 

Also that pickled onions are a great add in.

Making more is on the to-do list.

a few projects

The last couple days have been spent mostly indoors...it's been raining. 

I did get out today for awhile to appreciate the last of the apple blossoms, pull a few weeds and transplant some lettuce and spinach.  And to check on an experiment...

Mom gave me some Ollas (pots used for watering plants) for Christmas.  The whole idea fascinated me and I did some research. 

This is one way of making one...bury a clay planter, with the hole stopped up by something (I went with a cork for now) and then place a saucer on top for a lid.  The lids are off right now to collect rainwater. 

I am also going to try these for the squash and cucumbers (that's where the ones Mom gave me are going). 

As for being inside...the sewing machine is set up again and I am starting to work through some fabrics that I had stashed away.  The first project was making pillow cases with the indigo dyed velvet. 

More to come!

baby indigo vat

The baby vat:

I am so excited it works!

The strip I did today has better color, I think because the water is warmer.

Here is the post I did on the process last year with links to where I gathered information and inspiration. To recap what I did this year:

1. I harvested a dish tub full of indigo (stripped leaves), filled tub with cold water and used an immersion blender to chop it all up.
2. Strained off the water and dyed fabric and yarn with it.
3. Placed the chopped leaves in a gallon glass jar, topped with water and placed a plastic bag with water on top as a weight to keep the leaves submerged.
4. Forgot about it for way to long (over a month).
5. Strained the leaves out and divided the liquid into 2 quart jars.  Added a tablespoon or so of calcium hydroxide (I know I should have measured better).
6. Shook it a lot, about 30 minutes off and on.
7. One pint I filtered and have about 1/4 cup dry pigment.  The other pint I added a couple tablespoons of fructose to (again, should have measured better). 
8. Let it sit for a couple days.
9. Gave the vat a good stir, let it sit for about an hour and then put a test strip of fabric in. 

Next year I want to make a batch where I use the water that the leaves are chopped in as the water the leaves are fermented in rather than dyeing with it to see if I have a different result. 

Here is the first piece of fabric that I dyed as the center square for my Good Enough quilt.

I like the idea that this center square will be bigger...it will be easy to find when I go looking for it.

 

 

needed

It seemed like a safer option...

so I made a needle book.

with probably more pages than I need.

Room to add stories.

Found one on the back already; outlined so that I can remember.

Made with a Threadcrumb, Deb Lacativa thread, fabric that I dyed with some plant or another and a piece of paper inserted between the two pieces of fabric that make up the cover for a bit of stiffness.

this weekend

Last Friday I noticed the first of the Autumn crocus.

This one a little darker purple than usual.

On Saturday I learned to use a thimble while sewing:

I took a class with Sarah Woodyard hosted by Tatter.  I wasn't sure how useful the class would be for me but thought it would be worth trying.  It was not only interesting, but I really did learn a lot and feel more confident about sewing clothing by hand.

The thimble I have belonged to one of my great grandmothers.  It came with a sewing kit my grandmother gave to me. 

I like it.

from the front porch: how to repurpose a dress into a tank top

 

I am imagining everyone on my front porch with me...

and if you listen carefully you can hear one of the cats.

One thing that I didn't mention, to avoid having to sew the side seams over, the bottom of the arm hole needs to meet the edge of the piece of clothing when you cut.  For me if it's an article of clothing that already fits me, it works.  If it's larger the side seams would need to be resewn as well. Extending the arm hole out does not work unless you don't care if your bra shows. It is also the best reason to use a sleeveless shirt pattern for this.

This works well with skirts too.  An example of how I did this can be found here.  The pictures in this post also provide an example of what I mean by the side seams.

Two other things as I replayed the video:

-This dress has a dart.  To make a new neckline/arm hole for this I would have to go below the dart to cut.

-I think it's really funny that my verbal tick was "so."  If I were a perfectionist I'd probably have done the video over. But I am not so there you go!

P.S.  I've never tried this with something that has sleeves but I have some ideas now that I want to try...

 

more hand sewing, more problem solving

Not the best picture but it tells a story.

Last night I decided I really wanted to wear this dress today but the facing needed some repair (really wasn't the best fabric choice for facing).  I also have wanted pockets on this.

So...with some help from my trusty assistants, I folded the dress in half so that the side seams were in the middle, placed the facing pattern just below the arm hole on the seam line, cut out a new arm hole and neckline, flipped the pattern piece upside down and over to the other side, cut the rest of the neckline and the second arm hole. I had to cut a little more out of the neckline to get it over my head and to smooth things out.

I then sewed the shoulder seams (french seams) and finished the neckline and arm holes with a rolled hem, which is the most common way I finish necklines, armholes and hems. This is the proper way to do a rolled hem. I skip the ironing and just roll the hem, finger press, and stitch once.

I'll use the fabric I cut off to make a pocket later, but for today it's ready to go!

P.S.

The side seams are now center seams. 

more on the shirt, part two (design as you go)

The inside seams: one french seam, the other bound with rayon cut on the bias (leftover from another project). Would have been better if the rayon had been just a tad bit wider as I didn't get it all tucked in.  It will fray some but not as bad as the linen! I really like French seams. For anyone interested is a comparison of different ways to finish inside seams.

The more I play with patterns, the more it becomes that the pattern, the piece of clothing, is fluid for me.

I started this project with the idea that it would be a dress but after I had everything stitched together and I tried it on I realized it just didn't work for me.

I looked at it for awhile and realized two things were bothering me, the sleeve length and the length of the dress itself. 

Sleeve length is an easy one for me.  I know what works.  There is a length that is flattering and a length that isn't. And there is a length that just irritates me...like a scratchy label or a rock in your shoe.  The solution was easy.  Cut off a few inches so that it hit the sweet spot. 

The length of the dress puzzled me.  It was the same length at the tank top style dresses and the rayon dress that I've made which I love.  What was different? Answer:  solid color. Way too much solid color. So I cut off about 15 inches from the bottom and made it tunic length.

New plan: skirt with leftover fabric from the shirt plus other pieces of fabric to coordinate.

more on the shirt, part one

The square on the upper right hand corner is the color of the shirt I've been making.  To follow up on the shirt:  

I've got binding attached to one side seam of the shirt and am happy with the results. It should keep linen's tendency to fray to a minimum as well as strengthening the seam.

To back up a little, the pattern for my shirt is self drafted and essentially the robe pattern that Jude shared in her  Contemporary Boro class.

A little more complicated version with directions by Cal Patch can be found at A Verb for Keeping Warm. I say complicated in that it is more fitted.  Mine is four squares with a neckline.  I also cut an angle on the sleeve squares just to see...  The squares work for me because it is loose fitting.

For anyone interested in sewing clothes, Cal Patch's book is great even if you don't want to draft your own patterns.  Knowing how patterns are drafted helps with understanding fit.  The directions she gives for assembling clothes can be applied to any pattern. 

I have more to say about the shirt...later. :)